53 – Blood and Qi Explosion, Initiation into Blade Techniques

That night, after Xiao Yan had fallen asleep and Lu Qing had fed the little black beast, he lit an oil lamp and took out the ‘Four Direction Blade’ manual.

It is worth mentioning that the little black beast really did bring another old ginseng at night.

Moreover, its quality was no less than the previous one.

Unfortunately, Lu Qing didn’t have any odd fish to trade with, so every time the little beast ate the fish, Lu Qing could clearly feel its disappointment.

It was only after Lu Qing promised that he would go fishing for the strange fish when he had the time that the little beast was appeased.

However, before leaving, the little beast left the ginseng behind instead of taking it away.

So, now Lu Qing owed the little black beast an odd fish.

Under the bright light of the oil lamp, Lu Qing opened the first page of ‘Four Direction Blade’ and began to read.

Soon, he saw in his vision that the manual was emitting a dense white light, even interspersed with a hint of red.

【Four Direction Blade: A manual documenting profound blade techniques.】

【Bone and Muscle Realm blade techniques, emphasizing momentum and slaughter.】

【It is said that this blade technique was created by a martial artist who had perfected the Bone and Muscle Realm, pouring his lifetime’s effort into it. With this blade technique, he once fought against Internal Organ Realm experts and survived.】

【Proceed with the simulated download?】

“This manual actually has red light?”

Seeing the hint of red light on the manual, Lu Qing was very surprised.

Having awakened his special ability for so long, he had some sense of judgment about the light emitted by objects.

Anything associated with red light was typically extraordinary, worthy of being called a treasure.

Whether it was strange fish or century-old ginseng, they were no exceptions.

This ‘Four Direction Blade’ manual, producing such a dense red light, even more concentrated than the strange fish and ginseng, left Lu Qing feeling astonished.

Getting such a high rating from his special ability made Lu Qing even more curious about this Four Direction Blade technique.

He chose to proceed, then began reading through the ‘Four Direction Blade’ manual.

【Downloading in progress… Current progress: 1%, 2%, 3%…】

As Lu Qing continued to read, the download progress bar gradually increased.

【…97%, 98%, 99%, 100%】

【Download complete. Simulation starts… Current progress: 1%, 2%, 3%…】

Once Lu Qing finished reading the ‘Four Direction Blade’ manual, the progress bar reached one hundred percent.

Immediately, another progress bar appeared.

“I see, if it detects someone practicing a technique, it can directly simulate it. But for manuals, it needs to be downloaded first, then simulated.”

Lu Qing pondered.

He quietly waited, and before long, the progress bar reached one hundred percent.

【Simulation complete. Proceed with cultivation?】

Without hesitation, Lu Qing chose to proceed.

The next moment, countless insights and key points about the Four Direction Blade technique flooded from the depths of his mind.

Lu Qing closed his eyes slightly, quietly accepting this information.

After a long while, he opened his eyes, a trace of astonishment in them.

“This Four Direction Blade technique is truly extraordinary.”

At this moment, Lu Qing had fully absorbed the insights from his mind.

He now had a comprehensive understanding of the Four Direction Blade technique.

The Four Direction Blade technique did not consist of many moves, only nine in total.

Each move detailed how to mobilize the body’s strength to unleash the strongest power and momentum to cut down all enemies.

The term ‘Four Directions’ did not simply refer to the four cardinal directions. It meant every part of the world, wherever one’s eyes could reach.

One could imagine the ambition of the martial artist who created this blade technique.

After all, Lu Qing saw in the manual that the Bone and Muscle Realm martial artist who created this blade technique aimed to use it to cut down Internal Organ Realm experts.

Closing the secret manual, Lu Qing reached out, took a wooden saber from beside the table, and quietly headed out into the courtyard.

The wooden saber was something he had fashioned himself that afternoon. Though not aesthetically pleasing, it was quite sturdy.

There was no alternative; in this rural place, where could he find a battle saber? He had to make do for the time being.

After all, he was only practicing martial arts right now, not actually fighting anyone.

Holding the wooden saber, Lu Qing stood silently, and the various insights about the Four Directions Blade flowed through his mind.

Accompanied by his insights, he slowly began to practice the blade techniques recorded in the ‘Four Directions Blade.’

After stepping into the Blood and Qi Realm, Lu Qing’s control over his body had significantly improved.

Although it was his first time practicing these techniques, he already managed to perform them somewhat proficiently.

Of course, it also had to do with the simplicity of the Four Directions Blade techniques.

The Four Directions Blade technique consists of nine moves. Each move is plain and unadorned, focusing on power rather than complexity, making it not difficult to practice.

The real challenge lies in how to mobilize the entire body’s strength when striking, ensuring that each blow can unleash maximum power.

This involves very complex methods of exerting force.

The body movements, footwork, angles and methods of striking, the connection and explosion of qi and blood with bones, and the timing—all need to be perfectly coordinated.

It requires an extremely high degree of control over oneself for any practitioner.

After practicing several times, with the help of his understanding, Lu Qing soon grasped the basics of the Four Directions Blade moves.

However, he remained clueless about the special method of exerting force within the techniques.

He wasn’t hasty; he continued practicing the techniques over and over again.

As the saying goes, ‘Practice makes perfect.’ He believed that, aided by his insights, once he reached a sufficient level of proficiency with the moves, everything would naturally fall into place.

And indeed, it was true.

With each repetition, Lu Qing’s mastery of the Four Directions Blade techniques became increasingly proficient.

The transitions between the moves also became increasingly smooth and coherent.

The nine moves of the Four Directions Blade, though simple, are interconnected, forming a complete system.

Once the nine moves are perfectly linked, they can cover the entire body, leaving no flaws.

Lu Qing continued to practice the techniques, continuously reducing the flaws in the transitions between moves.

Finally, when he eliminated the last flaw, a sudden realization arose in his heart.

In the next moment, he stepped forward, his whole body’s qi and blood connecting and exploding instantly, launching a fierce strike into the air.

Swish!

Under the powerful force, the wind from the saber surged, pressing the weeds under Lu Qing’s feet down flat.

After this strike, Lu Qing remained motionless, a smile spreading across his face.

‘So this is it… the feeling of connecting qi and blood and unleashing it instantly.’

Just now, Lu Qing finally figured out how to coordinate the explosion of qi and blood while striking to maximize the power of the blade technique.

According to the ‘Four Directions Blade’ manual, only by achieving this can one be considered to have truly entered the basics of the technique.

Once he can perform an entire set of techniques, with each move accompanied by the explosion of qi and blood, he will have reached the minor accomplishment stage.

‘It’s really not easy. Without my abilities to assist, even given another month, I might not have been able to master the basics of the Four Directions Blade.’

Though it seemed like Lu Qing had easily grasped the entry skills of the Four Directions Blade in just a couple of hours,

in reality, only he knew how difficult the technique truly was.

It should be noted that he had been in a state similar to enlightenment while using his abilities.

Even so, it took such a long time to master the basics of the Four Directions Blade.

Of course, this had something to do with him never having trained in blade techniques before.

But how often does an ordinary martial artist experience enlightenment in their lifetime? If they were to train in this Four Directions Blade, those with lesser talents might struggle for years to even gain entry.

Lifting the wooden saber, Lu Qing intended to strike while the iron was hot and continue practicing.

Suddenly, he heard a cracking sound from the wooden saber in his hand.

It seemed that in his final practice move, he had exerted too much force, causing the wooden saber to crack.

‘It looks like I need to find a way to get a real saber.’